Ken-L-Land Opens As The Disneyland Kennel

This Month In Disney History, Ken-L-Land Opens As The Disneyland Kennel

Did you know that the Disneyland Kennel Club opened as the Ken-L Land Pet Motel on January 18, 1958? Participating in the opening ceremonies were Old Yeller’s son, Duke, and Kevin Corcoran, the youthful star of the film who would become a Disney Legend. If you’ve ever boarded your pets at the Disneyland Kennel Club while visiting the Disneyland Resort, you may remember Ginny Bullock, who will tell you about her role as a Disneyland Kennel Club attendant in this installment of Every Role a Starring Role!

Over the years, five different pet food brands sponsored the pet kennel. The kennel is still operational today, although without a sponsor. Over the years, five different pet food brands sponsored the pet kennel. The kennel is still operational today, although without a sponsor. The Ken-L Land Pet Motel name lasted until 1968. Then Kal Kan took over sponsorship. The name changed to the “Kennel Club.” By 1975, the price had doubled to a still very reasonable 50 cents. According to the Disneyland Guide, Summer 1975:

PET CARE
You may leave your pet in an airy, individual enclosure at a cost of only 50¢ for the entire day. This charge includes a choice of Kal Kan pet food. This facility, sponsored by Kal Kan, is located to the right of the Main Gate Ticket Booths. Sorry, pets cannot be left overnight. Kal Kan’s sponsorship ran until 1977. From 1986 until 1991, Gaines sponsored the “Pet Care Kennel.” The kennel at Disneyland once again had a sponsor. Friskies brought back the name “Kennel Club.” So what if Friskies was a cat food brand and the kennel was primarily for dogs? It was an opportunity to promote a Nestlé brand.

On December 12th, 2001: Nestlé acquired Ralston Purina. With Nestlé owning a real dog food brand, a Purina logo replaced the Friskies logo on the Disneyland Kennel Club. The 50¢ price of 1975 was a distant memory. According to the Disneyland official web site in Summer 2002, the price was much higher:

Kennel
Indoor Kennel facilities available for a charge of $10.00. Kennel is located to the right of the Main Entrance of Disneyland park. Sorry, there are no facilities for overnight accommodations. By 2006, the price had risen to $15. The next price jump was to $20. According to the Disneyland official web site, January 2008:

Do you have pet accommodations?
The Disneyland Kennel Club is available for day use. The cost is $20.00 per pet, per day and reservations are not necessary. No overnight accommodations are available. Please note the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort do not permit pets.

The Disneyland Kennel Club and County of Orange requires rabies, distemper, and hepatitis vaccination certificates from your vet in order to board dogs over four months of age. Cats over four months old need proof of vaccination for rabies, distemper, hepatitis, panleulaopenia, rhinotracheitus and calcivirus.

For further information or questions, please contact Disneyland Resort Guest Information at (714) 781-7290. As you might imagine, dogs are the main occupants. Cats are number two. Number three might surprise you… pigs. Yes, pigs. The kennel is still the original building from 1958—although you wouldn’t know it by looking at it. The daily fee still includes a serving of pet food. The Disneyland Kennel Club serves Pedigree dry dog food, Mighty Dog canned dog food, Friskies cat food, and dog treats.

The Disneyland Kennel Club takes other pets too. If you feel a need to take your hamster, parakeet, or goldfish with you when you spend the day at Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure, you can leave it at the Kennel Club (although why anyone would want to do so is another question). But if your pet is poisonous—forget it. And forget it if your pet is illegal in California—including ferrets, which are perfectly legal in most of the United States.

The occupancy level at the kennel varies widely by season. During the Holiday season, occupancy can be 100%. During the off season, it’s common to have only around five pets all day.